On the subject of Profile Pictures

[Oliver Ray]

I don't have a profile picture of me. It is because I don't want people to know what I look like, but not because of privacy. 

If people see a picture of you, they automatically make hundreds of wild assumptions, whether true or untrue. I don't want people to make these assumptions, I want people to know me for who I am, not what I look like. 

For a similar reason, I do not show my age. Again, people judge you for things which simply do not define you. 

I understand why people may disagree with this, as your age and appearance are part of who you are, but in an environment like this, to me at least, those things do not matter. 

I know that some may still judge me through what I have put as my profile picture(A view of Llanberis), and the fact that I do not show my face, but I can cope with that. 

I have stated my beliefs, and I respect that you may have different ones. 

Thank you for reading and DFTBA. 

[Oliver Ray]

Thanks Sarah, I'm glad you liked it. I read your blog with great interest and enjoyed reading it very much.

[Sarah H]

I wrote a lengthy blog on this subject, if you are interested http://nerdfighters.ning.com/profiles/blogs/let-s-start-as-we-mean-...

I like the idea that part of the appeal of an online community is the potential to render age and looks (and so on) irrelevant.  You raise an intriguing question.  What is "who I am"?